Gas odor delays start of classes in Salem

By Gail Peckler-Dziki

Correspondent

When Salem Grade School staff members arrived at school on Jan. 5, some thought something smelled funny.

They thought they smelled natural gas in the north side of the building. And then they thought they didn’t. It was an elusive smell, but a concerning smell.

So District Administrator Dave Milz said, “Student safety is first” and those students already in the building went to the south cafeteria while others stayed on buses outside.

“We called We Energies and the Salem Fire Department,” Milz said, “and they investigated.”

Salem Fire Chief Mike Slover said, “There was never any gas in the building and we detected no odor, and kudos to the staff for calling us and making sure the students were safe.”

The problem is more than likely one of maintenance, Slover said. “When the temperature drops, more gas is needed.”

The regulator, which would be located on the roof, would regulate the pressure of product coming into the building and the boiler system. Some may have escaped into the ambient atmosphere and the smell may have entered into the building through an air intake vent.

“This was a great ‘what if’ event,” Slover said.

Milz said the incident gave the school the opportunity to work through emergency plans and communications among staff members, outside agencies and families.

“We did notify parents about the incident through Skylert,” Milz said, “and we made sure the students were safe.”

The school day started 40 minutes later because of the incident and, Milz said, the rest of the day went on normally.

The full print edition is in the Jan. 15 Westosha Report

 


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